ARA Review by LibraryAmbler of Bluewater Walkabout

[LibraryAmbler]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Bluewater Walkabout.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Bluewater Walkabout: Into Africa by Tina Dreffin is a memoir following the author’s nautical travels throughout the regions of South Africa, Namibia, Brazil, and a number of other exotic locations. Throughout the narrative, she comes into conflict with harsh weather conditions, unruly wildlife, her crew/family, and a number of nefarious and exploitive individuals. Her story is harrowing, often funny, and self-analyzing in a way that only the most talented of memoir writers manage to achieve.

First off: I’d like to state that there’s something extremely admirable about someone who brings their children on serious and dangerous adventures. Often we see accounts of explorers or adventurers who go on a single wild adventure in their early lives before they can finally settle down and build a family. This feels neat and comfortable for us as readers because we feel as if that person is doing something for themselves in a way that only risks themselves. It’s tidy and morally unambiguous.

Tina Dreffin is not that way.

Throughout Bluewater Walkabout: Into Africa, we see the constant benefits and risks of her decision to expose her family to all of the dangers the adventuring life has to offer. Whether it be a charging elephant, a region in conflict, or the ever-present hazards of a life at sea, Tina Dreffin understands that there’s no such thing as a risk-free upbringing. So instead, she brings her family with her and thus reaps the benefits of being able to grow and develop through hardships and trials together.

There are a few points along the way—a missing child or a rebellious crew-mate, to name a few instances—where it seems like she has made a mistake. Often times, the reader will consider the notion that her choice to have a family while also sailing around the world is reckless at best, a silly dream doomed from the get-go.

But ultimately, that’s what I understood the whole story to be about. Near the beginning of the book, Dreffin relays her own personal story of being sexually assaulted. But this doesn’t take place in Africa, Brazil, or some other far-off region; this takes place right at home in America as she’s trying to nail down a stable job. This just goes to show that danger exists everywhere, whether it be out navigating the rolling waves of the high seas or in the comfort of your own country.

I believe that this is what makes her story so compelling and illuminating. Having the illusion of security shattered for her, Dreffin takes to a life of adventure and brings her entire family along for the ride. She does this not because she’s ignorant of danger, but because she understands its ubiquity. She knows that you only get one life to live, and that the world needs to be confronted head-on. She believes this in such a real sense that she raises her children as if the matter were so apparent that it requires no further debate.

Some writers of non-fiction think that just because the events they’re relaying are interesting they don’t have to be good writers. Thankfully, this isn’t the case with Tina Dreffin. Her story is powerful and compelling, and what’s more is that she has the wit, the clarity of mind, and the writing chops to relay it. Her prose are occasionally flourishing but never self-indulgent. She jumps from scene-to-scene with ease and clarity. And despite the heavy subject matter, there is a solid note of humor and jubilee that permeates every page. Considering all of this, I give Bluewater Walkabout: Into Africa 5 out of 5 stars.

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